Achioté

All Clear: Translucent Twin Villas High Above the Pacific

Two surfer-architects fell under the spell of Costa Rica’s untamed tropical beauty, and constructed the country’s first pair of rammed earth and frameless glass pagodas dramatically jutting from a sheer jungle cliff, 300 meters above the Pacific.

These spellbinding, transparent villas, set 12 meters apart, share the same footprint, each offering a bedroom, bath and galley kitchen behind their seamless, floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The crystalline panes in each villa are contrasted by three beautifully striated walls of solidly rammed clay that was excavated on site. Sharp angles of steel and concrete jut from the leafy jungle canopy, the metal creating the dramatic rooflines that shade the concrete platforms designed as floating patios. The concrete landings are set with dining and lounging furniture, creating the pagoda’s sole living room outside the glass. Both gleaming structures feature infinity pools, and both showcase the use of concrete indoors, where the mass forms built-in seating, bedside tables and platforms, benches, and countertops. Each villa’s interior varies, designed to reflect the location’s unique energy as experienced by the architects at the time of construction.

These two villas are brought to us by the multi-award-winning Formafatal Studio in Prague, whose other homes in Costa Rica are also featured here.

AROUND

These twin villas jut sharply from a jungled hillside, one kilometer above Playa Hermosa, on Costa Rica’s south Pacific coast, overlooking the Whale's Tail, the main attraction at Marino Ballena National Park. A world-class surf spot, Playa Hermosa is some six kilometers from Uvita/Bahia Bellena and about 10 kilometers from Dominical. The national parks at Corcovado and Chirripo are about two hours’ drive away, and Manuel Antonio National Park is reachable in about an hour. Toucans, monkeys, parrots and condors are visible without ever leaving the glassy shelters, and the villas offer privileged perches for whale watching in season and the occasional show of bioluminescent plankton by night. 

Comprised of mangrove forests, deserted sands, and thriving coral reefs, the area’s beaches are mostly wide stretches backed by rocky coves. Snorkeling is popular, revealing more than a dozen coral species, such as stony and cauliflower coral. Sea turtle sightings are frequent, and whale watching popular. The nearby surf town of Dominical is famed for its good waves, and colorful Uvita, a sweet beach community offers groceries, a health center, banks, and more. The tropical forest surrounding the villas teems with jungle life such as macaws, giant iguanas, howler and capuchin monkeys, and vivid tropical bird life including parrots and toucans.

LOCATION

Playa Hermosa, Osa, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Nearest airports: Quepos (domestic, 45 mins), SJO (international, 3½ hours)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: December to April, dry season